K-12 literacy encompasses reading, writing, listening, speaking and problem solving for a wide range of purposes. As students with IEPs learn and develop their literacy skills, they engage in individual and collaborative work to allow for participation in a literate world.

The evidence-based instructional resources listed below can assist teachers in their efforts to provide quality literacy instruction to students with IEPs. The resources on the left are intended for teachers of students with IEPs (99%) that take the Michigan State Assessment. Listed on the right are resources for teachers of students with IEPs (1%) that take the Alternate State Assessment.

Commonly Referenced Resources

• Literacy Core Programs & Intervention Strategies – Examples

Early Literacy

• Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy
• Florida Center for Reading Research
• Institute of Education Sciences – What Works Clearinghouse
• Intervention Central
• National Center for Learning Disabilities
• RTI Action Network
• Michigan’s MTSS Technical Assistance Center

Adolescent Literacy

• CEEDAR Center Innovation Configurations
• Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy
• Institute of Education Sciences – What Works Clearinghouse
• NewsELA website for informational text; lexile level of articles can be adjusted to fit the reader
• Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy

Reading Strategies for Special Educators

• Consortium on Reading Excellence- Teaching Reading Sourcebook and Companion Website

Explicit Instruction

• Explicit Instruction Big Ideas and Videos 

Commonly Referenced Resources

• Literacy Core Programs & Intervention Strategies – Examples

• The Center for Literacy Disabilities Studies

• Dynamic Learning Maps
• Project CORE 

Literacy Supports

• All Children Can Read: Literacy Skills Checklist and Steps to Emergent Literacy

• Communication Matrix: An assessment tool that supports people with severe communication difficulties.

• Exemplar Text Supports: A collection of open-source, accessible texts that were created to provide students with significant cognitive disabilities with access to the content of the Exemplar Texts listed in Appendix B of the Common Core State Standards at a complexity level that will help them develop reading skills.

• Tarheel Reader:  A collection of free, easy to read, accessible books on a wide range of topic for emergent and beginning conventional readers. Students can write books as well on this site.

Technology/AAC

• The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA): A not-for-profit membership organization of manufacturers, sellers and providers of technology-based assistive devices and/or services. The mission of ATIA is to serve as the collective voice of the assistive technology industry association so that the best products and services are delivered to people with disabilities.

• Closing The Gap: Provides professionals, parents and consumers with the information and training necessary to best locate, compare and implement assistive technology into the lives of persons with disabilities.

• Praactical AAC: Supports for Language Learning: A website devoted to supporting language and literacy learning for students who use augmentative or alternative communication (AAC).